Kansas City Chiefs knock Denver Broncos out of playoffs; now need their help

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid noted "I've learned this
over time: you can't score enough points against these teams," said the
Chiefs' head coach. "You can't take anything for granted. We're going
to score as much as we can until we can't do it." File Photo by Kelvin
Ma/ UPI

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KANSAS CITY -- Given the Broncos' dominance of the AFC West over the last decade, the Kansas City Chiefs
not only enjoyed their 33-10 victory Sunday night over their nemesis,
but reveled in making it happen while clinching a spot in the AFC
playoffs and ending Denver's postseason hope for this coming January.

Yet, now the Chiefs will become Broncos fans
for at least the next week. With their 11-4 record, Kansas City has a
berth in the AFC tournament bracket. They still seek first place in the
division and they need Denver's help to make that happen. If the Chiefs
can beat the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday they would need the Broncos
to stop the Oakland Raiders
that same day in Denver to create a tie on top of the AFC West. Should
that happen, Kansas City would win the AFC West thanks to their two
victories during the season over Oakland. They would also enjoy a bye
week and a game at home.

"You can't win it unless you get in," said quarterback Alex Smith.
"That's the first thing we talk about. You have to get a ticket to the
dance. After that, you can worry about byes, home fields and things like
that."

While many pick the Raiders when the talk
turns to identifying the Chiefs' biggest rival, in recent years it has
become the Broncos. Denver's five-year streak of taking first place in
the division caused that, including a pair of trips to the Super Bowl
where the Broncos grabbed a championship last season.

Now, Kansas City needs the help of the guys
wearing orange and blue, who own a 14-6 record against the Chiefs over
the last 10 seasons.

"It's become this nice little rivalry here," said head coach Andy Reid. "Both teams are playing well, so it becomes an even greater rivalry."

For the first time since 2000, the Chiefs
took both games against the Broncos this season, winning by a combined
score of 63-37. Denver accomplished the sweep six times against Kansas
City in the last 14 years. That made the Christmas night events quite
fun for those in the red and gold, especially the final scoring play: a
2-yard jump pass touchdown toss from defensive tackle Dontari Poe to
tight end Demetrius Harris that expanded K.C.'s lead from 17 to 23
points.

Reid wasn't apologizing for calling his defensive tackle's number at the goal line.

"I've learned this over time: you can't score
enough points against these teams," said the Chiefs' head coach. "You
can't take anything for granted. We're going to score as much as we can
until we can't do it."

Denver head coach Gary Kubiak said he
understands that thinking, although some with the Broncos thought it was
rubbing the Broncos' nose in the defeat.

"It's our job to stop them," said Kubiak. "We
know he can come in a game. They have plays for him. It's our job to
stop those types of things. Andy has a lot of class and they're a good
football team. I don't look at things like that."

At least some of the Broncos indicated they
were not going to forget the sight of a defensive tackle throwing a jump
pass against them in the game's final minutes.

"You know, that's Andy Reid," said outside
linebacker Shane Ray. "That's what he does. He puts plays like that
together. That won't be forgotten. It's not like we don't play each
other twice a year. We'll remember this."

Right now, the Chiefs only hope the Broncos remember how to win for at least one more Sunday this season.

Kansas City Chiefs knock Denver Broncos out of playoffs; now need their help
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